TinHiFi T1 Plus
gives a good tactile thump with each punch by the large bass presence
At Linsoul, we have always been amazed by TinHiFi’s pursuit for the ultimate audio experience at a budget-friendly price bracket. Their unique sleek designs and mastery over dynamic and planar magnetic drivers have indeed warranted the international success TinHiFi has garnered over the years. However, their latest budget release takes a slightly different twist from their usual aluminum-based appearance to embrace a warmer and cuter appeal. What’s more remarkable, however, is their ability to utilize a Beryllium driver - often only found in much more expensive earphones - in a package that is just below $30. Below, we’ll take a deeper look at this new incredible budget earphone from TinHiFi - the T1 Plus.
Lightweight and Secure Fit
The first thing we noticed immediately after receiving the T1 Plus was how extremely lightweight they are. At just 3.2g, it is one of the lightest earphones we have come across. This has proved to be a significant benefit in our use cases, which have been during commutes, workouts, and day to day chores, due to its comfort and secure fit. Even after a couple of hours on the track, we hardly noticed the T1 Plus in our ears and their earhook and ergonomic shape were perfect for our ears.
10mm Beryllium Driver
Beyond the cute aesthetics, a look at the clear shell reveals an ingenious design by the TinHiFi R&D team. The 10mm Beryllium dynamic driver is actually a tubeless driver much like the ones utilized by earbuds that reduces unwanted resonances in the upper trebles and delivers a smoother sound. By designing an in-ear monitor-like shape for the shell, TinHiFi has been able to utilize the benefits of this driver with the improved fit of IEM’s. The driver is positioned to shoot through an acoustic chamber modded with a filtered vent port and a spacious back chamber to produce its unique sound signature.
Sound Signature
The most noticeable of the T1 Plus’ sound is the large bass presence that gives a good tactile thump with each punch. The rumble is quite focused, and despite its quantity, doesn’t go as far as to hinder the overall cleanliness of the signature. Having said this, the tuning definitely carries a good amount of warmth that gives a nice body to instruments and vocals, and particularly tom-toms and snares. The effect of the beryllium driver shows in the relatively quick sub-bass response, as well as the rather impressive clarity and resolution of the entire frequency range.
We were relieved to find that the pinna gain and mid-treble transition are well-tuned and something familiar to professional-grade IEM’s. In fact, with the quantity of bass and mid-bass that the T1 Plus presents itself with, the amount of pinna compensation is almost perfect to balance out the overall signature and prevent it from becoming too bogged down. Vocal and instrument finishes are crisp and carry a good presence, and harmonics are appropriate for its tuning. While the T1 Plus cannot be said to be a detail-oriented earphone, it is neither lacking in detail retrieval nor dull/dark in its tonal balance.
A rather pleasant surprise was how spacious the T1 Plus sounds for an IEM, probably due to the acoustic chamber design and its tubeless configuration. We found the resolution also exceeding our expectations for something of its price range, with mid-treble notes having a nice clarity and responsiveness to them. Perhaps the only technical fault of the T1 Plus could be the lack of stereo imaging, with instrument locations not as precise as would be required for professional mixing uses. But given its price and intended purpose, we believe these to be minor faults.
Conclusion
Tin Hifi has once again impressed us by expanding the limits of how much audio quality one can achieve at such a low budget. At its price range, the T1 Plus far exceeds its relative competition, and serves as an exquisite earphone for entry level enthusiasts, as well as making great gifts for those whom one may want to introduce hifi audio to. For the more seasoned listeners, we find that the T1 Plus provides just the necessary basis of what could be considered “hifi” to function well during commutes, workouts, and any other scenarios when using more expensive audio gear may not be appropriate.
